


coming out as best you can in the 19th century

by Norbez



Category: Code:Realize ～創世の姫君～ | Code: Realize - Guardian of Rebirth (Visual Novel), Code:Realize～創世の姫君～ | Code:Realize ~Sousei no Himegimi~ | Code:Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~ (Anime)
Genre: 19th Century, Acceptance, Coming Out, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Themes, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Other, Queer Character, Queer Friendly, Queer Themes, nonbinary cardia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:42:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25314775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norbez/pseuds/Norbez
Summary: Cardia comes out as nonbinary to the boys.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	coming out as best you can in the 19th century

**Author's Note:**

> As a nonbinary dude, I CAN'T HELP BUT HAVE NONBINARY HEADCANONS, OK?! :3 It's in my nature lol.  
> Hope you enjoy this short fluffy fic! Let me know what you think of it. <3

She was having a hard time putting it into words, but that was possibly because of her lack of worldly experience. Perhaps Lupin and the others would be able to help.

  
So after breakfast that morning, Cardia said, “Um, everyone, I have a bit of a problem.”

“A problem?!” Impey immediately exclaimed, almost dropping the plates he was clearing. “Fear not, princess! I am here to solve all of your needs!”

  
“Thank you Impey, but I’d actually like everyone’s input on this,” Cardia replied, trying to tell him gently as possible. “I feel like this group has expertise in many areas, and you all can help me.”

  
“Of course we’ll help,” Fran said, giving her a warm smile.

  
“Naturally,” Van Helsing grunted.

  
“None of us can refuse a beautiful lady like yourself,” Saint Germain assured her. Lupin nodded in agreement.

  
“That’s the problem,” Cardia said, frowning. She sighed, and closed her eyes, searching for the words. “I don’t know if lady fits . . . who I am.”

When she opened her eyes, all the men were staring at her, their expressions ranged from perplexed to confusion. “Can you explain what you mean, Cardia?” Fran asked.

  
“Well, I remember reading about the roles of men and women when I was at the mansion, and _about_ them in so many other books,” she began. “And I remember clearly thinking, ‘I don’t feel like either of these. I feel different.’”

  
“How so?” Van Helsing asked.

  
“I don’t feel like a woman or a man. I feel like something in between.” Now she had said it. Cardia bit her lip, certain they were going to retaliate now. “Perhaps it is because I am a monster that I feel this way. But it’s how I feel.”

  
There was a long silence. She watched their faces searching for anger or rejection. But there was only thoughtfulness as they processed her words.

  
“I don’t see anything wrong with that!” Impey was the first to respond—of course he was. He gave her a big, reassuring smile. “Man, woman, it doesn’t matter to us. We’re all engineered differently, and the best thing we can do is respect that fact. We love you for you, my princ—I mean, my _royalty_! Right, everyone?”

  
“Absolutely,” Fran said, giving her a smile. “I’ve actually encountered a few patients in the past who have expressed similar feelings, Cardia. You’re not a monster, and you’re not alone in this. Though medical science is unfortunately ill-prepared to discuss such matters. . .”

  
“I’m not going to pretend to understand,” Van Helsing said frankly, “but I will support you no matter what.”

  
“But what should we call you now?” Lupin asked, frowning. “’She’ probably isn’t going to cut it, right Cardia? Or would you rather we call you a different name, too?”

  
She shook her head. “I like my name just fine,” she told them, “but perhaps we could find a word other than ‘she’ for me? I feel more . . . gender-neutral than anything else.”

  
“Isn’t the gender-neutral pronoun ‘he’ in this day and age?” Fran asked, thinking back on his academics. “But no—surely there is another option. . .”

  
“Perhaps ‘they’ will be the best term?”

  
Saint Germain spoke up for the first time, and everyone turned to him. “Before grammarians changed it, ‘they’ was the gender-neutral pronoun,” he said, smiling knowingly. “That, to me, seems like the best option.”

  
“’They’. . .” Cardia tried it out, feeling out the word. It made something click in her mind, and she smiled. “I like it. Can we do that?”

  
“It’ll be difficult to change how we refer to you,” Helsing said, closing his eyes, “but we will all try, for your sake. Just remember to correct us.”

  
“Exactly,” Fran added. “We’ll all help you, Cardia. We’re your friends, after all.”

  
“For Cardia!” Impey exclaimed, holding up his glass. Everyone else did the same, and they did a toast, their cups coming together with a _clink!_

  
“For Cardia!”

  
Cardia laughed, and they gave everyone a smile. “Thank you all.

  
“I couldn’t ask for better friends than you.”


End file.
